Is This the True Goal of “Reform” Today?
I have often been struck by the uneven playing field that policymakers and legislators establish for charter schools and public schools. The public schools are increasingly strangled by regulations and by high-stakes testing and punitive evaluations, at the same time that the charter schools are exempt from most of the strangulation. I have heard many times from principals who say that they want to turn their public school into a charter so they can escape the tentacles of regulation that are wrapped tight around their school. And I have wondered whether the purpose of “reform” was to make public schools fail while the deregulated charter schools increase and thrive.
Here is another take on the current corporate reform movement, inspired by an earlier post about stagnant ACT scores:
The more conversations I have about the entire “reform” movement, the more convinced I am that it’s really
Here is another take on the current corporate reform movement, inspired by an earlier post about stagnant ACT scores:
The more conversations I have about the entire “reform” movement, the more convinced I am that it’s really
Can You Answer Her Question re CCSS?
Kipp Dawson invites others to answer her question:
A question for each of you, and anyone else. In its Winter 2011 issue, the American Federation of Teachers magazine, “American Educator” carried several articles and an editorial touting the benefits of Common Core. One argument in particular grabbed my attention and made sense, at least on the surface. The point was, if we are concerned about children in underfunded schools and in isolated (rural) settings, should we not embrace Common Core national standards and curriculum (by whatever name) to ensure that these children’s education
A question for each of you, and anyone else. In its Winter 2011 issue, the American Federation of Teachers magazine, “American Educator” carried several articles and an editorial touting the benefits of Common Core. One argument in particular grabbed my attention and made sense, at least on the surface. The point was, if we are concerned about children in underfunded schools and in isolated (rural) settings, should we not embrace Common Core national standards and curriculum (by whatever name) to ensure that these children’s education
What Happens When Performance Assessments Work Better than Tests?
A small group of public high schools in New York City managed to get exempted from the testing regime of the New York Regents many years ago.
And they have proven themselves.
These schools use performance assessments rather than the standardized tests of the Regents (although they
And they have proven themselves.
These schools use performance assessments rather than the standardized tests of the Regents (although they
What We Can Learn from the New PDK/Gallup Poll
The annual Phi Delta Kappa-Gallup poll on education was released today.
The sponsors characterize public opinion as split, which is true for many issues.
We must see this poll in the context of an unprecedented, well-funded campaign to demonize public schools and
The sponsors characterize public opinion as split, which is true for many issues.
We must see this poll in the context of an unprecedented, well-funded campaign to demonize public schools and
If Test Scores Are the Measure of Education…
If test scores are the measure of education (and I don’t think they are or that they should be), then our present course of “reform” is a bust.
This is what FAIRTest had to say about the ACT scores, released today:
This is what FAIRTest had to say about the ACT scores, released today:
STAGNANT ACT RESULTS, GROWING RACIAL SCORE GAPS
MORE EVIDENCE THAT TEST-BASED SCHOOL “REFORM” IS ON WRONG TRACK;
“WHY ARE POLICY-MAKERS DOUBLING DOWN ON A FAILED STRATEGY?”
Flat ACT college admissions exam scores released today show, “The nation’s decade-long fixation on high-stakes testing as the primary tool to boost academic performance and narrow learning gaps is a sweeping, MORE EVIDENCE THAT TEST-BASED SCHOOL “REFORM” IS ON WRONG TRACK;
“WHY ARE POLICY-MAKERS DOUBLING DOWN ON A FAILED STRATEGY?”
Will the Gates’ Agenda of Gathering Data about Teachers Abolish Poverty?
A previous post referred to Anthony Cody’s dialogue with the Gates Foundation about their insistence that teachers are the central problem in education today, not poverty. Anthony patiently explained why poverty matters, and the foundation’s response was noncommittal, really just a repetition of stale slogans like “poverty is not destiny.” Not surprisingly, some bearers of the reform flag assailed Anthony. This reader supports him and explains why:
The thing that makes this a “dialog” is that both sides answer each other. By claiming Cody said teachers aren’t important, or poverty is destiny, or any other outright lie, corporate “reformers” are now exposed, because
Does Common Core Affect Pre-K?
There has been discussion on the blog about whether the Common Core Standards include pre-K, and if not, whether they are nonetheless influencing them. A reader posed that question to me and I referred it to Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education specialist who recently retired after teaching at Lesley University for many years.
Hi Diane,
It’s hard to put your finger on the pulse of what is really going on in early childhood right now, and for good reason. There are big differences among states, school systems, and individual programs. But there are also trends that
|
From Inputs to Outputs
Diana Senechal reacted to an earlier post about standardization:
When I first read Robert D. Shepherd’s comment, I asked myself, “who is this wise, knowledgeable person?” I returned to his comment and reread it several times.
He explains the core madness in all of this: that the starndards are not curricula but will be (and are being) treated as curricula.
He makes important points about autonomy and pluralism too.
I only question his assertion that the current reform movement can be traced back to the business “revolution”
When I first read Robert D. Shepherd’s comment, I asked myself, “who is this wise, knowledgeable person?” I returned to his comment and reread it several times.
He explains the core madness in all of this: that the starndards are not curricula but will be (and are being) treated as curricula.
He makes important points about autonomy and pluralism too.
I only question his assertion that the current reform movement can be traced back to the business “revolution”
Why Standardization Fails
Robert D. Shepherd has been in the education publishing industry for many years. When I was writing The Language Police a decade ago, Shepherd was a reliable guide to the vagaries of the publishing world. I also found him to be an acute observer of language and literature. I am happy he wrote this to share with you:
I would like to point the would-be reformers of American education to the work of that great political and social theorist Robbie Burns, who wrote in “To a Mouse” that “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley.”
A bit of old-fashioned Scots skepticism with regard to this latest attempt at centralized planning of education,
I would like to point the would-be reformers of American education to the work of that great political and social theorist Robbie Burns, who wrote in “To a Mouse” that “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley.”
A bit of old-fashioned Scots skepticism with regard to this latest attempt at centralized planning of education,
Great Stuff to Read
I thank the readers of this blog for your patience, your support, your engagement, and your diligence.
I know that you must sometimes (often?) feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of posts that I send your way.
Sometimes I wonder if I am wasting your time and mine, and then I get a comment or email from a parent or a teacher telling me that they rely on this blog to give them the information they need to understand what is
Is Rick Scott Too Late to the Party?
I know that you must sometimes (often?) feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of posts that I send your way.
Sometimes I wonder if I am wasting your time and mine, and then I get a comment or email from a parent or a teacher telling me that they rely on this blog to give them the information they need to understand what is
Is Rick Scott Too Late to the Party?
Governor Rick Scott of Florida is taking out ads saying he too is opposed to high-stakes testing.
Of course, Jeb Bush travels the nation boasting of the wonders created by the same high-stakes testing regime perfected on his watch as governor.
But Coach Bob Sikes, Florida blogger, says that Scott’s apology is too little, too late.
Floridians are steamed about the teach-to-the-test mania that has gripped their schools for years.
What next in Florida?
Of course, Jeb Bush travels the nation boasting of the wonders created by the same high-stakes testing regime perfected on his watch as governor.
But Coach Bob Sikes, Florida blogger, says that Scott’s apology is too little, too late.
Floridians are steamed about the teach-to-the-test mania that has gripped their schools for years.
What next in Florida?
